Glow

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The lady who started Petroglyph, the in studio pottery painting experience, has started a new crafty business called Glow Candle Lounge.

I stumbled across it whole walking the streets of Willow Glen with my friend Michelle.

Yes, we have the same name.  LOL

So apparently, for a small studio fee ($9.75 for adults) you can make as many candles as you want.  Each candle has a fee as well (ranging from $7 – $44).

I’m dying to try this place out.  I want to make the $44 candle and see what’s so special about it.

Maybe it’s the size of a Buick.

Maybe it’s shaped like the leaning Tower of Pisa.

But whatever its shape or its size, I’m simply intrigued at the idea of making my own candle… picking a shape, filling the mould, selecting a fragrance, hiding treasures inside…

I’ll wager it’s possible to make a candle so beautiful you don’t want to melt it.

So… the question is who wants to make candles with me?

This is a date night activity.

I just may have to go out and find myself a date.

Kayaking the Elkhorn Slough

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I finally got to go kayak the Elkhorn Slough, after being rained out twice before in Stormageddon 1 and Stormageddon 2.  You can imagine my unbridled joy to wake up to a bright, sunny, calm day.  Perfect day to kayak.

Of course as a single, I had to get paired up with who ever else needed a partner, and so it was that I got paired up with Michael, a 13 year old boy who was kayaking with his family that day.

The thing about kayaking with a 13 year old boy is that they like to race a lot.  And they like to ram other boats a lot.  And when I say a lot, I mean A LOT.  It was a melee until I realized that sitting in the back of the boat gave me control of the steering and so I steered us away from the crowd where he couldn’t race or ram other kayaks.  Success!

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The Elkhorn Slough is is a 7-mile-long tidal slough and estuary on Monterey Bay.  The Elkhorn Slough harbors the largest tract of tidal salt marsh in California outside of the San Francisco Bay and provides much-needed habitat for hundreds of species of plants and animals, including more than 340 species of birds.  But really, many people go there to see sea otters, who go to the sanctuary to pup.

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Within 5 minutes of taking off, we got to see up close a mother sea otter with her baby floating by us.  It was a breathtaking experience to see that little ball of fur rolling around on its mother’s belly.  Too cute for words.

Our guide took us aside and told us point blank that we’d just seen the most amazing sight that the Elkhorn Slough has to offer and pretty much everything else wouldn’t be able to measure up.  We continued on anyway.

We got to see lots of wildlife – a raft of sea otters, snowy egrets, sea lions, harbor seals (one popped up right next to our kayak, scaring the daylights out of me), cormorants, and brown pelicans.  Some pics are below.

I had a FANTASTIC time and highly recommend the venture, for those of you thinking about kayaking the Elkhorn Slough.

My Fair Lady inspo

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I wrote not one, but TWO posts about Eliza Doolittle (HERE and HERE).

This is because I am a HUGE fan of My Fair Lady.

My parents loved it and made me watch it over and over again when I was growing up.

So when a friend announced she is throwing a party in January with a Black/White theme, I knew EXACTLY what I was going to pull together to wear to the party.

THE ROYAL ASCOT COSTUME from My Fair Lady!

A custom made Royal Ascot dress is too steep for my blood, costing around $1,000 on etsy:

So I’m just going to go for a dramatic white dress instead of something custom made.

This dress from Amazon will work just fine (high neck, long sleeve, mermaid-ish silhouette):

There are three hats to choose from and honestly, I’m going to go with the last hat because it’s the least expensive:

Of course I will need to accessorize the dress with a black and white striped belt and matching bow for the shoulder.

These should do nicely:

And there you have it, my ensemble for a Black and White Themed Party!

Princess’ Story

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On December 5th around 4 pm in the afternoon, I put my lovely cat Princess to sleep.

I had her 15 years.

When I found her all those 15 years ago, she was a stray cat in Saratoga living in a barn, with five kittens.

She ate food out of Bella Saratoga’s dumpster to survive.

She fiercely protected her kittens and every one who worked at the spa with me was scared of her.

I clearly remember her hissing at me and flattening herself to the ground, like an angry brown cloud, then running away from me.

I trapped her and her kittens.

When I brought her to see the vet, the vet refused to take her out of the cage, she was so scared of getting bitten or scratched.

That’s how fierce my little Princess was.

I thought Princess was feral but she was so beautiful, with her Burmese markings and her blue, blue eyes, from the moment I saw her I was determined to keep her.

She hid under my couch for a week.

Slowly though, she came around.

I’d like to take the credit for it, but the truth is Princess loved men and she warmed up to my ex-husband before she warmed up to me.

I woke up the morning of December 5th and went through my morning routine with Princess.

Petting her.

Feeding her the treats she demanded from me on a regular basis.

She jumped up on the couch to get attention.

She was old, but vital.

I went to work as usual.

But then I got a text from my son a few hours later.

Something is wrong with Princess.

She threw up, had a seizure, and couldn’t move her back legs.

I immediately left work and took her to the vet.

She was dying right there on the table in the veterinary clinic.

Her eyes were closed.

She barely moved.

A few times, I thought she was already dead.

With a VERY heavy heart, I held her while the vet put her to sleep.

It’s been just a few days since she died and I miss her TREMENDOUSLY.

Memories of my sweet Princess keep me up at night.

I thought I had more time with her.

But apparently, she had someplace to be.

RIP Princess, quite possibly the best little rescue cat I’ll ever be lucky enough to call my baby.

 

 

PARENTING ACHIEVEMENT REALIZED!

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Have I mentioned recently how lucky I am to be a mom to my two boys?

I can’t express enough gratitude for being chosen to be their mother.

My eldest, Duncan, is now working and joined the Army National Guard to be in the Military Police.

Of course, he hopes to get a career in law enforcement, just like his father.

My youngest, just got accepted into UNR and will be attending in the fall and studying the field of biology.

He hopes to make a career as a veterinarian or a nurse.

Now, the thing you must know about having teenage boys is that even though they are less work than girls, with less mood swings, and outbursts, they’re also fiercely independent.

I’m constantly texting them asking where they are and who they are with.

I barely see them.

If it wasn’t for the fact that they need food to survive, I could go days without seeing them.

So, all this is just a BIG excuse for me to post this photo of us:

They came into my room while I was lounging on my bed – Duncan on the right and Gavin on the left, and they stayed there long enough for me to snap the photo.

Fuck yeah!

PARENTING ACHIEVEMENT REALIZED!

Revelation

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My marriage started in February of 1996 and ended in September of 2004.

At the time, I remember my ex-husband trying to coerce me into staying together by telling me that no one would want me since I had kids.

I thought he was ludicrous.

But here I am 14 years later and I’m still single and HONESTLY, I really need to examine the reasons why.

Because I’ve had several boyfriends but nothing long term.

And the only similar factor in all those relationships is ME.

The other day, I took a good long look at all my failed relationships and asked myself, “WHAT HAPPENED?”

And as TEMPTED as I might be to say, “Something is obviously wrong with me” or “Something is obviously wrong with them,” the reality is NOBODY IS WRONG.

When I got married the first time, I was looking for someone with a nice ass, great cheekbones, and a decent personality.

And that’s exactly what I got.

Plus two INCREDIBLY handsome and extraordinary boys!

But I missed out on intellectual stimulation, emotional connection, and similar values.

And I’ve been looking for those things ever since.

Boyfriends #1, #2, and #3 may have come closer to what I’m looking for but in the end I can draw only one conclusion:

I am single because I’m smart enough to know that I haven’t met anyone yet with whom I could have a successful marriage with.

Ta da!

Nothing wrong with me.

Nothing wrong with them, although I still take offense at the one who left me during a miscarriage.

I see people ALL THE TIME who are in sucky relationships.

I occasionally wonder, “What the HELL is wrong with ME?  If SHE/HE can find a partner, why can’t I?”

And then it hits me.

I’m single because I’m BETTER AT RELATIONSHIPS, not because I suck.

And that, dear readers is a revelation.

Weddings

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I LOVE weddings.

There’s nothing like the scent of LOVE in the air to make me giddy and light hearted.

My cousin just got married and I LOVED his wedding.

Her ethereal dress.

His burgundy suit.

My family, all dressed up (believe it or not).

The beautiful bridesmaids and handsome groomsmen.

Lately, I’ve been swarmed with articles about Nick Jonas marrying Priyanka Chopra and I must say, I think the Hindus are on to something.

If you’re going to have a wedding, why not make an ENTIRE WEEK OF CELEBRATIONS OUT OF IT?

I would ABSOLUTELY LOVE to attend a week’s worth of wedding parties to celebrate the union of two loved ones.

Honestly, I think I’m captivated by Nick and Priyanka’s wedding because there is SO MUCH GOING ON the wardrobe changes are AMAZING!

Seriously.

The dresses, the robes, the headdresses, the jewelry, the mehndi. . .

It’s all so incredible, I am left speechless.

There’s nothing quite as satisfying as a well-done wedding.

Whether it’s a backyard barbecue for 50 or a celebrity wedding for 400.

Whether it has a one thousand dollar budget or a one million dollar budget.

I’ve come to the conclusion that although I LOVE being a WEDDING GUEST, I’m not quite as BIG on BEING IN THEM.

It makes me think about what I want for my (next) wedding.

Ha ha ha.

Yes, I’ve already had one and it was lovely and small.

I love week long Hindu weddings but if I were to marry again, I’d elope.

In a FABULOUS dress, of course!

Santa Con 2018

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I’ve decided, as I do every year, to get a new costume for Santa Con 2018.

I’ve been a Santa babe, Mrs. Claus, and The Grinch.

This year I’m going to be a reindeer.

I have a pair of reindeer leggings that would be PERFECT for just such an occasion.

Honestly, when ELSE can you wear REINDEER leggings, if not to a Santa Con?

I have reindeer antlers, which I MIGHT just decorate with LED string lights (it all depends if I can find the lights).

And I have a nice long red reindeer sweater, which I think is sufficiently festive for the occasion.

The thing about it is, as much as I like the idea of being a reindeer, I’m not exactly “authentic” for Santa Con.

The purists would say dress up like Santa or stay home.

But my interpretation is much looser and I believe that a pseudo-reindeer is an appropriate outfit for this Santa Con.

Just to make it more believable, and to FULLY COMMIT to the costume, I’ve been searching for a deer makeup tutorial I can use to make myself LOOK LIKE A DEER.

Ha ha, I know!

But there are deer makeup tutorials out there and this is the one I like:

So there you have it – my FOURTH SANTA CON and my FOURTH CHRISTMAS COSTUME.

Hope you like it!

I’ll take a bunch of pictures!

Disappearing Act

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Tinder wants me back.

Clearly, I am a winner and they don’t want to lose me.

Ahem.

Or maybe they just need more women on Tinder.

Either way, they emailed me today to tell me I’m going to DISAPPEAR if I don’t log in soon.

Just like that.

I will disappear.

The app that gave me The Former Mormon, the guy who LOVES TO EAT TACOS, and the cretin who moved his glass so that he “could see my tits better.”

Oh boy!

Thanks, but no thanks.

Actually, in honesty it hasn’t been all bad.

I made three friends through Tinder – Will, The Swede, and Nathan.

So it’s not like I’ve had a dreadful time.

It’s just that Tinder is so REPETITIVE.

I feel like, for the most part, I’m having the same date with a slightly different guy at my usual hangout where I am sure they must think I’m a dating FIEND given all the dates I’ve taken there.

So I guess you’re wondering, given that The Swede in all likelihood will not make it to California for the holiday break, am I even TEMPTED to get back online to meet men?

And the answer to that is a resounding, reverberating, echoing NO!

Not in this lifetime.

I’ve just done it enough to realize that for the most part people who online date like to play the field and I’m sick of going on first dates that lead nowhere.

Physically, my dates are present.

Emotionally, they’re closed off.

I’m not sure how I will wind up going on dates, but one thing is sure.

I am DONE with Tinder.

Love is in the air

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Love is in the air.

That’s right.

I’m just gonna go ahead and say it.

Everyone is coupling up.

First my cousin entered into wedded bliss.

And now, little Nick Jonas is MARRIED.

I don’t know why, but lately my Instagram stream and Facebook posts have been FILLED with love.

‘Tis the season?

Why not.

It’s sweet, really.

Everyone declaring their love for their partner.

I too am going to declare my love.

For The Swede?

Maybe.

For gin?

Definitely!

Yes, my love of gin stretches way back to the night I was with my college roommate and she drank tequila while I drank gin and tonics.

Fast forward to the end of the night and I’m holding Holly’s hair while she pukes into the toilet.

Me, I held my liquor.

Thank you GNTs.

I love you BUCKETS!

Tequila?

Not so much.

But really, I don’t have anyone to love besides my wonderful friends and family.

And that’s a rather LARGE group of people I’ll have you know.

But that’s the nice thing about love. . . the more you give it away, the more you have of it.

I do of course, have a sort of “misplaced” sense of affection.

I’m not in a relationship so I can hardly exercise my urge to rain down love and affection and (dare I say) sexy time, with another human being.

But I can certainly share the love I’ve got with all of you.

So consider this a big virtual hug from me to all my readers.

‘Tis the season to show your loved ones how much you care.

Don’t forget!